Kansas State coach Bill Snyder will return in 2018

Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder (R) accepts the winning trophy after defeating UCLA 35-17 in the Cactus Bowl last month.(AP)

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder isn’t going anywhere.

After multiple reports, including from Rivals’ K-State Online, emerged saying the coach told his staff he’ll be back in 2018, the school confirmed the news in a press release Tuesday evening.

“As I have stated many times, as long as I remain in good health, am wanted and have a positive impact on the young people in our program, I will continue to be the head coach at Kansas State University,” Snyder said. “Those factors have not changed, and I look forward to meeting with our players and beginning our out-of-season program when classes resume. I appreciate President [Richard] Myers and [athletic director] Gene Taylor for their continued support of me, our program and our University. They are truly special K-Staters.”

Added Taylor: “We are excited that Coach Snyder has decided to continue to lead our program and look forward to building off the late-season momentum which included five wins in our final six games, a Top 10 road win and Cactus Bowl victory. I know he and his staff, in addition to our student-athletes, are anxious to get winter workouts and spring practices underway in preparation for next season.”

Snyder, who turns 78 during the 2018 season, will need to find an offensive coordinator. Longtime offensive coordinator Dana Dimel left the staff after the bowl game to be the new head coach at UTEP. Kansas State came back from a halftime deficit to beat UCLA in the Cactus Bowl to finish the season 8-5.

Snyder was diagnosed with throat cancer at the end of the 2016 season and didn’t reveal his illness publicly until early 2017. He said he coached the Texas Bowl after the diagnosis and said in April that he was through with the cancer treatments.

The longtime Wildcat is the winningest coach in program history. Snyder first retired after the 2005 season and the program hired Ron Prince to replace him. Prince was fired after three seasons and Snyder returned to be the team’s head coach in 2009.

He has led Kansas State to bowl games in each of the past eight seasons and 2018 will be his 27th with the team.